Leon >> Granada
Go to the Leon bus depot — it’s a bit of a walk. Once there, get in the smaller white shuttles going to Managua — $1USD
The shuttle will take you to the UCA area of Managua where you can grab another of the same style shuttle straight to Granada central square for another $1USD
If you take a chicken bus from Leon to Granada you are not saving much on the fare and once you get into Leon you will have to either squeeze into an overpacked city bus to get to UCA, or pay over $3 a person for a taxi to the Granada shuttles.
Granada >> Masaya
A 45-minute and $.50usd hop from Granada or Managua (it’s halfway between the cities) Masaya makes for a great day-trip. At the main bus terminal there is a massive market selling bulk food and everyday needs for the local population.
Once you’re able to navigate your way out of the maze-like market you can hop in a taxi cab for just about a dollar and get to the town center where there is a nice breezy square, plenty of cafes and an extensive artisan market selling souvenirs for whomever you might be searching. Hammocks, lizard-skin wallets, tortoise-shell jewelry, clothing — it’s all here for bargain prices. And if you get hungry, there are food kiosks selling traditional Nicaraguan dishes for cheap.
In our opinion, it’s not really worth the trouble of staying the night here, but it’s certainly worth the couple bucks you’ll pay getting to and from.
Granada >> Ometepe
Getting from Granada to Ometepe is an easy morning voyage. From Granada you go to the bus depot and catch one of the many buses leaving for Rivas, they leave about every 20-30 minutes, cost $1.20usd/27 cordobas and takes about two hours. Once in Rivas you need to take a taxi to San Jorge. It’s not far, but too far to walk. Taxis will be charging exorbitant prices to start, but keep haggling and you should be able to get down to AT LEAST $1.50usd, if not cheaper. Seriously, its only like a 5 mile ride.
The taxi will take you to the ferry and that will cost under $2usd/35 cords and take an hour and 45 minutes, more or less.
And before you know it, you’ve arrived on the majestic volcanic island of Ometepe.
Take me to SLEEPING: GRANADA
Take me back to GRANADA // Take me back to NICARAGUA // Take me HOME